Crane



CRANE Original Filed June 2. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l,

61H0: mais,

E. T. BENNINGTON CRANE Feb. 11, 1930.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 2. 1927 7 la 2 l m la@ Q E rell nIllu.. It

all /I @not nac 5 A Patented Feb. l1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEEARL T. IBENNINGTON, Ol CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'T0 THECLEVELAND CRANE ENGINEERING COMPANY, F WICXLIIB'FE, OHIO, A CORPORATIONOF OHIO CRANE Application led Inno 2, 1927, Serial No. 196,124. RenewedJanuary 7, 1929.

This invention relates to cranes of the bridge type and has for itsobject to provide a traveling bridge of wide span which is of relativelylight construction and which is adapted to be supported upon ordinarymonorail tracks.

A further object is to provide a wide span bridge crane in which thebridge is so mounted that a minimum of frictional resistance is offeredto its travel along its supporting runway and in which the bridge isadapted to be moved along its run-way manually by pushing against th'ebridge at any point along the length thereof so that a man on theground, by pushing on a part of the hoist trolley or on loads suspendedfrom the'trolley, may move the bridge along its run-way or the tro leyalon the bridge, and walk with the load in any esired direction and toany point within the area covered b the crane.

With the above and ot er objects in view, the invention may be said tocomprise a structure as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawingshereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appendedclaims together with such variations and modifications thereof as willbe apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention appertains.

Reference should be had to theaccompanying drawings forming a part ofthis "specification in which:

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section through the supporting run-wayshowing the bridge and hoist trolley in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the bridge taken on the lineindicated at 2-2 in Fig l; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating on an exaggerated scalethe lateral iexure of the supporting rails when the bridge is beingpropelled along its run-way by pressure applied toene end thereof.y

As illustrated in the accompan ing drawing the crane run-way is composof a series of parallel monorail tracks 1, each composed of road railsT-shaped in cross section and provided with oppositely extending lian esupon which the supporting wheels run. he monorail tracks 1 are flexiblysuspended at intervals along their len th to permit lateral liexure, thesuspension evices consisting of iexible hinges 2 attached to the lowerends of rods 3 which have ball heads 4 seated in socket supports 5attached to a suitable overhead sup ort such as the overhead beams orgirders ot a building. Suspension rods 3 are adapted to swing in andirection permitting portions of the monorall tracks to be deflectedlaterally during travel of the bridge along the run-way.

As shown herein, the bridge consists of a girder 6 extendingtransversely beneath the supporting tracks l, the girder 6 consisting ofan upper T-shaped section of structural steel and a lower section 8 inthe form of a standard monorail which has its web welded to the web ofthe upper section 7. In order to lighten the girder, portions of the webof the upper section 7 are cut away, as indicated at l9 in Fig. 1, andthe webs joining the section 7 to the rail 8 are made in the spacesbetween the cut-away portions 9. For supporting the girder 6 upon themonorail tracks 1 cross bars 10 are rigidly attached to the top of thegirder at points along the length thereof corresponding to the positionsof the supporting tracks and the portions of these bars extendingacrossthe top of the girder have spaced side members 1l which are adapted toreceive th supporting rails 1 between them Aso that the girder maytravel beneath vthe supporting tracks with its top immediately beneaththe bottoms of the supporting rails. Cross bars 10 project on oppositesides of the girder 6 and are provided with downwardly oiset endportions l2 on which are swiveled load bars 13 which are connected tothe ends of the cross bars 10 by means of vertical and horizontal pivots14 and 15. Wheel carrying frames 16 are connected by swivels 17 to theopposite endsof the load bars 13 and carry wheels 18 which travel uponopposite flanges of the supporting tracks 1.

Mounted to travel upon the monorail section 8 of the girder there is ahoist trolley 19-which has wheels 20 traveling upon the opposite flangesof the rail 8, the trolley being rovided with the usual hoist drum andmotor y means of which a hoist cable 21 ma be wound or unwound to raiseor lower; a oad .suspended therefrom. Current may be su plied to thehoist motor from conductor rai s 23 extending along one of thesupporting rails 1 through current collectors 24 carried b one 'of thesteel frames from which the bri ge is of a given capacity. The flexiblesuspensionc of the supporting tracks is an important feature of thepresent invention since it permits the bridge to be readily moved alongthe run-wa by pressure applied at any point along t e length of theridge. This enables a man on the ground, b pushing on the rigid handle28 of the tro ley or upon a load sus ended by the hoistcable 21, to movethe bri ge alon its run-way regardless of the position of t e trolley onthe bridge. As diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3, the ridge, at theend to which ressure is applied, has a tendency to run a ead of theoposite end on the run-wa and this would orinarily create such aJfrlctional resistance to movement that it wouldbe impossible, with abridge of lon span, tor a man on the ground to propel the ridge alongits run-way.

With cranes constructed in accordance with the present invention, it hasbeen found that very little ressure is required even at the end of thebridge to propel the bridge along its run-way. The exi le suspension ofthe su porting tracks 1 permits the end of the bri ge, to which pressureis ap lied, to run slightly ahead of the opposite en and by reason ofthe fact that the cross .bars 10 are rigidly connected to the girder,movement of one end ofthe girder ahead of the other will cause a lateralmovement of the tracks, as illustrated in Fig. 3. This bending is inreality very slight, the showing in Fig. 3 being exaggerated for thepurposes of illustration. The tracks when laterally moved tend to returnto their normal straight position and exert pressure through the crossbars 10, tending to restore the girder to a position at right angles tothe tracks and to swing the lagging end forwardly to a position evenwith the end which is bein ushed. The swivel c mounting of the w eecarrying members is important since it allows the wheels to followwithout binding any lateral movements of the track roduced by one end ofthe girder runnin a ead of the other. Whenever pressure app ied to theend of the girder is momentarily released, the tracks return to theirstraight position and the lagging end of the girder is swung forwarduntil the girder is a ain atright angles to the supporting tracks. Teiiexibly suspended supporting tracks cooperate with the swiveledsupporting wheels and rigid wheel carrying cross bars of the girder topermit the girder to be moved alon 1ts supporting run-way with a minimumo frictional resistance-to such movement. An operator on the round, bysimply ushin against the han le 28 or against t e lo carried b the hoistcable 21, may move the trolley a on the track 8 of the bridge or maymove t e bridge bodily along its runway and by the combination of thesemovements can cause the load to travel in any direction desired and vtoany point within the area covered by the crane.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A bridge crane having a series of three or more parallel supportmgtracks each flexibly suspended at intervals along its length so as to becapable of limited lateral movement, a trolley supporting bridge memberextending transversely of said tracks, and means -for supporting saidbridge member from said trac s comprising members rojecting laterally toopposite sides of the bridge member and rigidly secured thereto, membersor more parallel supporting tracks each iiexibly suspended at lntervalsalong its length so as to be capable of limited lateral movement, abridge mounted to travel on said tracks and com rising a girder extendintransversely of tlie tracks and provided witg oppositelyextendinfflanges forming a trolley track, cross members rlgidlyconnected to the girder and extending across the top thereof adjacentthe supporting tracks, members swiveled upon opposite ends of each ofthe cross members and wheels carried by said swiveled members adapted totravel on the supporting tracks.

3. A bridge crane having a series .of three or more parallel supportingtracks each iiexibly suspended at intervals along its length so as to becapable of limited lateral movement, a bridge extending transversely ofsaid tracks, and means :for supporting said bridge so that the same maytravel along the tracks,

said means comprising a plurali of members rigidly connected to said brige and extending on opposite sides thereof in substan-A tially the samedirection as the tracks, two of said members bein located adjacentopposite ends of the bri ge and the remaining of said members beingarranged intermediate the first two members, and wheels associated withsaid members adapted to travel on said tracks.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aix my signature.

EARL T. BENNINGTON.

